we look at the fiscal cliff or as steve calls it the fiscal slope or the fiscal fiesta and of course the fiscal follies. we'll install our own special graphic later this week. it's our new style of play and our next guest might want to be a pair here as he writes about it every day until the situation is resolved. sounds riveting. in the guest spot today is dan gross, the columnist and global business editor for "newsweek" daily beast who says in his latest piece republicans still haven't recognized the new reality. dan, you may be right. i don't know. i guess we'll see. if republicans do agree to raise taxes, do you think that democrats will agree to any health care entitlement reform? which is the harder sell? >> no, i don't think so. that's why i'm so pessimistic or actually so optimistic about going over this fiscal cliff. usually when i threaten to write about something every day until it is resolved, it gets resolved quickly. we'll see in this case. >> that's power. >> the election kind of ratified the stance. which is the bush tax cuts should expire for those making over a cer